1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to active optical cable assemblies and, more particularly, to active optical cable assemblies and methods for thermally testing active optical cable assemblies.
2. Technical Background
As the data rate of communication protocols increases, it becomes difficult to transmit signals using purely electrical cables. Optics has provided a solution to the distance versus data rate problem for the telecommunication and data center markets. Benefits of optical fiber include longer reach, extremely wide bandwidth, low noise operation. Because of these advantages, optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, broadband voice, video, and data transmission. Optical fiber is emerging as the lowest cost and most compact interconnect technology in an increasing number of consumer electronics applications, especially at lengths greater than a few meters.
Active optical cable assemblies convert signals from electrical-to-optical and optical-to-electrical using integrated circuits within the connector housings. By way of example, active optical cable assemblies use components such as laser diodes for transmitting optical signals over optical fibers, and components such as photo diodes for receiving optical signals for conversion back into electrical signals. The temperature of the components of the active optical cable assembly may impact performance of the assembly. For instance, the temperature of the laser diode used for transmitting optical signals may be a source of a reduction in optical power of the transmitted optical signal. Specifically, reduced optical power of the transmitted signal may result in the optical signal being undetectable by the photodiode at the opposite end of the active optical cable assembly. In some cases, an active optical cable assembly may operate properly at factory conditions during manufacturing, but a reduction in optical power due to a variety of sources may cause the active optical cable assembly to fail to function properly during operation in the field.
Accordingly, there is a need for alternative active optical cable assemblies and methods of thermally testing active optical cable assemblies that address reliability of the active optical cable assemblies.